Soft gel pastes. I prefer Americolor, available at many specialty cake decorating stores and widely available on the internet.

Royal Icing. Use any recipe. I add a bit of shortening for better taste. The consistency should not be too runny, not too thick. Hold spoonful over bowl. Icing should cling to spoon and slowly fall into bowl. Add water to thin, confectioner’s sugar to thicken.

Assembling frosting bags. Bags, tips and couplers are available at any major craft store. Couplers hold the tips on the frosting bag so you can easily switch tips. To assemble a frosting bag, insert coupler (without the ring) into the bag, small end towards the point. Snip about ½ inch off the point of the bag. Snip BELOW the coupler. Coupler should be fully inside the bag. Hold the tip on the edge of the coupler outside of the bag. Screw ring into place (so the frosting bag is in between the coupler and the ring.)

Cookie cutters. Cookie cutters are available at specialty cake decorating stores and widely available on the internet.